2007年VOA标准英语-US Auto Industry Revs Up for Big Auto Show

By Mil Arcega
Washington, DC
11 January 2007
 
watch US Auto¹ ShowHollywood celebrities² such as Carmen Elektra are adding glamour³ and excitement to the event. "You know, entertainment merging⁴ with automobiles⁵, music, fashion.  It's really cool.  I think that is what the future is all about, merging all those different worlds together," she said.

The U.S. auto industry has high hopes for jump-starting declining sales figures as carmakers around the world gather in Detroit this week to unveil their newest models.  Despite increasing competition from Asia, the nation's big three car manufacturers are projecting an air of confidence at this year's North American International Auto Show. 

 

But the real stars at the auto industry's most prestigious⁷ show -- are the cars.

"The winner of the 2007 North American Truck of the Year is... the Chevy Silverado." General Motors took the top awards this year as automotive journalists picked the Saturn⁸ Aura and the Chevy Silverado as the best car and truck of the year. 

Chevrolet's general manager Ed Peper, welcomed the endorsement⁹. "This is a huge day for our company.  I don't believe in the 14 years we've had the award that we certainly have swept both the car and truck awards.  So for us to get this award, it's from so many different journalists, just on the value of the product itself and how it performs in the marketplace.  It is an absolute thrill for us.  I can't begin to describe it.  It's like winning the Super Bowl."

But industry experts say this "game" is far from over.   Using baseball terminology¹⁰, "Car and Driver" magazine editor Csaba Csere says the big three automakers need several home runs to regain¹¹ their status as industry leaders. "They don't need one home run.  They need three or four home runs or six or eight triples and doubles."

Sales of light vehicles at G.M. and Ford¹² were down about 10 percent last year, while Chrysler's sales remained flat.  In contrast, Japanese automaker Toyota saw an increase of 17 percent and it is now poised¹³ to topple G.M. as the world's largest car maker⁶.

But Chrysler chief Tom Lasorda says it is too soon to count the domestic automakers out. "You just have to come back to our showrooms and we'll show you how good our products really are."

An estimated 700,000 people, some of them potential car buyers, will see just how well American cars stack up against the competition when the show opens to the public this Saturday (January 13th).

1 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

2 celebrities   

n.（尤指娱乐界的）名人( celebrity的名词复数 )；名流；名声；名誉

参考例句：

• He only invited A-list celebrities to his parties. 他只邀请头等名流参加他的聚会。
• a TV chat show full of B-list celebrities 由众多二流人物参加的电视访谈节目

3 glamour   

n.魔力，魅力；vt.迷住

参考例句：

• Foreign travel has lost its glamour for her.到国外旅行对她已失去吸引力了。
• The moonlight cast a glamour over the scene.月光给景色增添了魅力。

4 merging   

合并（分类）

参考例句：

• Many companies continued to grow by merging with or buying competing firms. 许多公司通过合并或收买竞争对手的公司而不断扩大。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• To sequence by repeated splitting and merging. 用反复分开和合并的方法进行的排序。

5 automobiles   

n.汽车( automobile的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• When automobiles become popular,the use of the horse and buggy passed away. 汽车普及后，就不再使用马和马车了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Automobiles speed in an endless stream along the boulevard. 宽阔的林荫道上，汽车川流不息。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

6 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

7 prestigious   

adj.有威望的，有声望的，受尊敬的

参考例句：

• The young man graduated from a prestigious university.这个年轻人毕业于一所名牌大学。
• You may even join a prestigious magazine as a contributing editor.甚至可能会加入一个知名杂志做编辑。

8 Saturn   

n.农神，土星

参考例句：

• Astronomers used to ask why only Saturn has rings.天文学家们过去一直感到奇怪，为什么只有土星有光环。
• These comparisons suggested that Saturn is made of lighter materials.这些比较告诉我们，土星由较轻的物质构成。

9 endorsement   

n.背书；赞成，认可，担保；签(注)，批注

参考例句：

• We are happy to give the product our full endorsement.我们很高兴给予该产品完全的认可。
• His presidential campaign won endorsement from several celebrities.他参加总统竞选得到一些社会名流的支持。

10 terminology   

n.术语；专有名词

参考例句：

• He particularly criticized the terminology in the document.他特别批评了文件中使用的术语。
• The article uses rather specialized musical terminology.这篇文章用了相当专业的音乐术语。

11 regain   

vt.重新获得，收复，恢复

参考例句：

• He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。
• The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。

12 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

13 poised   

a.摆好姿势不动的

参考例句：

• The hawk poised in mid-air ready to swoop. 老鹰在半空中盘旋，准备俯冲。
• Tina was tense, her hand poised over the telephone. 蒂娜心情紧张，手悬在电话机上。